Aubrey Plaza, from left, Karan Soni and Jake Johnson in 'Safety Not Guaranteed,' which was honored by the Indiana Film Journalists Association.

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“Show business,” “the movie industry” — phrases that connote that cinema is more than an entertainment medium or art form.

To moviegoers, a feature is a diversion where they can spend a couple of hours.

But to the people who own and operate a multiplex or neighborhood theater, it is an enterprise in which they must make a profit to stay in business. Thus, when some moviegoers complain about the lack of diversity in the fare projected on screen, they fail to take into account that not every type of film is a moneymaker.

The audiences for foreign and independent films and documentaries are small but vocal. They are the first to complain when Goodrich Quality Theaters, whose three multiplexes have 25 screens in Lafayette and West Lafayette, book “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” on six of those screens.

Yet they are the same people who, when a foreign movie or documentary is booked, often fail to immediately take advantage of the opportunity.

This is not unique to Lafayette.

I have been to theaters in Indianapolis to see, for lack of a better term, alternative movies and have been perhaps one of a half dozen or dozen people in the theater.

For the uninitiated, movie theaters do not really make money on ticket sales; the studios take the majority of those funds. Theaters make their money on concessions.

And if no one is coming to see a movie, then popcorn, candy bars and pop are not sold.

Theaters, then, like other businesses, must cater to as vast a majority as possible. And those people want to see the latest mainstream, major studio releases.

Another factor in the equation is that the distributors of alternative films, for the most part, lack the financial resources of Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox or Paramount Pictures.

Thus, fewer prints are struck or digital copies made of a documentary, independent or foreign film. Most of those movies are first screened at film festivals, where they hope to attract a distributor; most don’t and go directly to DVD.

Yes, in a perfect world it would be wonderful if Goodrich set aside a screen or two on a weekly basis for alternative movies.

But the chain is not an altruistic entity; it is a profit-making corporation that follows the show biz adage of giving the audience what it wants.

To alter the thinking of the theater chain’s bookers, the moviegoing habits of Lafayette need to change. Goodrich officials want proof that non-mainstream movies will be supported.

That is how features such as “Amour,” “The Master,” “Rust and Bone,” “Safety Not Guaranteed,” “Searching for Sugar Man” and “Beasts of the Southern Wild” will reach Lafayette.

Bloom is the movie critic and Blu-ray/DVD reviewer for the Journal & Courier. He also reviews Blu-rays and DVDs for Gannett. He can be reached by email at bbloom@jconline.com, where he also blogs. Or follow Bloom on Twitter @bobbloomjc.